# Weigh in on some long-standing arguments with my SO (shredding mail, unplugging appliances) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 7, 2009, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weigh-in-on-some-long-standing-arguments-with-my-so-shredding-mail-unplugging-appliances/509185 "2009-09-07T19:28:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weigh-in-on-some-long-standing-arguments-with-my-so-shredding-mail-unplugging-appliances/509185/21 "2009-09-10T20:09:08Z")
This thread could reach record size and you will never come up with a **rational** way to argue with women. She sleeps at night knowing she blacked out the addresses and unplugged the monitors. \*Let it go, man… Let… it… go… \* Saw this sign walking through a house where the contents were for sale due to divorce: On stack of old college books, reference manuals and ‘how to’ guides: \*\* “For sale. Books no longer needed. Fucking wife knows everything”\*\* ---
**Author:** ![velvetjones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/5f9b8f/32.png) [@velvetjones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velvetjones)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2009, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weigh-in-on-some-long-standing-arguments-with-my-so-shredding-mail-unplugging-appliances/509185/22 "2009-09-10T20:35:26Z")
All a person has to do is look at your house to get the address right? I mean, I drive down First Street, AnyCity, AnyState, USA and I stop and look at a house and the house number is right there in big numbers on the house. I now have the full address 1234 First Street, Anycity, Anystate, USA I can look up the proper zip code on the zip code directory online to make the address even more complete. All someone needs to do to get your address is drive by your house. Then I can find out if someone has a phone line at that address by looking that up on [411.com](http://411.com) and if you’re listed I now have your name, address and phone number. All without digging through your trash. If I really want to be sneaky I can go to the county property appraiser web site and find out who owns the place. If it’s the same person as the phone number I looked up I know that the homeowner mostly likely lives there. Tons of information floating around on the internet without ever having to dumpster dive. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weigh-in-on-some-long-standing-arguments-with-my-so-shredding-mail-unplugging-appliances/509185/23 "2009-09-16T13:56:51Z")
> [@Philster](#): > > Saw this sign walking through a house where the contents were for sale due to divorce: > > On stack of old college books, reference manuals and ‘how to’ guides: \*\* “For sale. Books no longer needed. Fucking wife knows everything”\*\* Why doesn’t he need the books now that he’s left her? More importantly, if he’s still fucking the wife, what’s the point of the divorce? :smack:😛 ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2009, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weigh-in-on-some-long-standing-arguments-with-my-so-shredding-mail-unplugging-appliances/509185/24 "2009-09-17T01:50:14Z")
> [@Walton\_Firm](#): > > and learn various things about that person, such as what newspapers and magazines they read, even if the more serious personal correspondence is all shredded. By making sure that none of my waste paper can be easily linked back to me, I give myself a little extra anonymity: the hypothetical nosy person may know that there exists a neighbour X who reads certain magazines and receives the employee newsletter for a certain company, but they don’t know that neighbour X is me. Not to bust your bubble, but I can sit hundreds of miles away, and just BUY all that information about you. Mailing lists of what magazines/newspapers you subscribe to, what organizations you belong to, what charities you donate to, what church you attend, what car you drive, etc. are readily available for purchase. And with just a bit more effort, I can get target information about you: the house you own, how much you pid for it, what property taxes you pay (and if you are behind on them), what traffic tickets you’ve gotten, your credit info, how often you vote, names & phone number of neighbors I can call to ask about you, etc. It’s not that hard to find out such information on any person. And in much easier (and cleaner) methods than dumpster diving. It’s just not worth the effort in most cases. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2009, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weigh-in-on-some-long-standing-arguments-with-my-so-shredding-mail-unplugging-appliances/509185/25 "2009-09-17T02:12:03Z")
> [@velvetjones](#): > > All a person has to do is look at your house to get the address right? I mean, I drive down First Street, AnyCity, AnyState, USA and I stop and look at a house and the house number is right there in big numbers on the house. I now have the full address 1234 First Street, Anycity, Anystate, USA I can look up the proper zip code on the zip code directory online to make the address even more complete. It’s not your name, it’s your name attached to something. People without a driver’s license are often allowed to use a utility bill with a name/address as a form of identification. Beyond that, you don’t want something like a pre-approved credit application or other information to fall into someone’s hands. It’s just easier to shred everything than to sit down and sort through stuff. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weigh-in-on-some-long-standing-arguments-with-my-so-shredding-mail-unplugging-appliances/509185.md?page=1)